State of Jammu and Kashmir comprises of three regions viz Kashmir, Jammu and Ladakh. The State is further divided into 22 districts, two in Ladakh, 10 each in Jammu and Kashmir. The number of Tehsils and CD Blocks are 82 & 142 respectively. There are as many as 6652 villages and 68 urban areas besides 7 urban agglomerations. The total geographical area of the state is 2,222,36 sq. Kms. Which includes 78,114 sq. Kms under POK, 37,555 sq. kms under illegal occupation of China in Ladakh and 5180 sq. kms illegally handed over by Pakistan to China. As per 2001 census, the population of the state is 10069917 which represents 0.98% of the total population of the country comprisinnng of 5360926 males and 4782774 females working out the sex ratio of 892 compared to the sex ratio of 933 at national level. The decadal growth rate for the state is 29.98% which is highest in the country. Population consists of 66.97% Muslims, 29.63% Hindus, 2.04% Sikhs, 1.12% Buddhist, 0.20% Christians and 0.04% others. 75.19% of the population resides in rural areas and rest 24.81% in urban areas. The valley of Kashmir experience severe winter, pleasant springs and moderate summer. Ladakh region gets very little rainfall while climate of plain areas of Jammu is more or less similar to that of Punjab. Most of Kashmir and Ladakh have single cropping pattern while in Jammu more than one crop is harvested. A light chunk of population in the state derive its livelihood from Agriculture. The principal crops of the State are Rice, Maize and Wheat. Horticulture is,however, one of the potential area. Fruit production has reached 14 lakh Mts. The perennial rivers provide an excellent base for generation of Hydroelectric power. The state has a potential of 20 thousand HWs. However, due to scarcity of resources, very little production has been exploited so far. The Jammu and Kashmir is an important tourist destination and has been a place of interactionto tourists all over the world for centuries. The lush green tourist resort of Gulmarg, Pahalgam, Yousmarg, Kokernag, Verinag and golden meadows of Sonamarg are imparallel. Jammu is attracting a large number of Pilgrims and the important destination has been the Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine. The Ladakh region has been much sought-after destination especially for foreign tourists. It is monasteries, the Lama-Buddhist culture, the beautiful paintings, sculptures and ancient books are source of attraction to the tourists. During the year 2007 as many as 79.68 lakhs tourists/pilgrims visited the State.

The Handicraft Industries in J&K occupies an important place in the economy of the state and makes a conspicuous contribution in sustaining direct employment to the people of the State. The Handicraft products of the state have won worldwide acclaim for their attractive designs, high quality of craftsmanship and their functional utility. The handicrafts of the state have great contribution towards foreign exchange earning to the state and country particular.